9 minute read
Interview: Joe Waggoner, CEO
Joe Waggoner CEO & Executive Director Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority
How are the revenues collected by tolls being used to benefit the community?
The tolling business is built on the idea of how much time we can save a person on a trip. If we can save a person 15 minutes and that person makes $20 an hour, then that 15 minutes is worth $5 to them. That is not the toll we charge, but that is the basis upon which we do that valuation of a future revenue stream. The revenues collected are first and foremost used for the operation and maintenance of the roadway. This means keeping the roadway presentable, in good condition, with clear lines and working lights, thus ensuring the customer experiences a safe ride. We also use the funds to preserve the roadway. Depending on how much use that roadway receives, every 10 to 15 years we have to resurface the entire roadway, and 30 years we have to replace the bridge decks. In a sense, we are essentially rebuilding the facilities every time. We do not sell bonds to do this kind of work, that comes out of our revenues, so we have had to create a sinking fund to make sure we are taking care of this.
What initiatives are you working on to advance the future of transportation?
This agency is an early adopter. One project we are working on is our Connected Vehicle Pilot Project (CV). When we look at this tech, the big benefit we see is safety. When we talk about autonomous vehicles and connected infrastructure, there is an opportunity to cut the fatality rate significantly. We believe, if for that reason alone, we should be doing everything we can to get that technology out there sooner. We pursued the CV pilot with the federal government three years ago because we want to do what we can to make it happen sooner. We received a grant for $17 million and we added an extra $5 million to conduct this pilot project. We want to determine how the vehicle can communicate with that system and send out information to those other participants in that transportation environment to make it safer and to work more eciently. ( ) since 1990 and in November residents extended the program for the third time. Over that time, the funds have been used for a variety of projects across infrastructure, public safety and recreation. Notable projects are development of 15 stormwater drains, reconstruction of seawalls, bridges and sidewalks and allocation of funds to the emergency services for equipment and facilities.
Other initiatives are also under fire. In November, engineering firm H.W. Lochner filed plans for the new 10.3-mile Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Project connecting Downtown St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg Beach. The entire project is estimated to cost $43.9 million and is slated to be live in 2020/2021 but has faced opposition from the city of South Pasadena and the city of St. Pete Beach.
Airports Tampa International Airport generates $14.4 billion in economic impact every year, employing 10,500 people directly and supporting a further 121,000 indirectly. TPA topped its projections for passenger growth in fiscal year 2019, serving over 22 million passengers, up 5.5% on the previous period to a record high. The airport is also the 24th busiest in the United States. Of those busiest airports, Tampa International ranked 10th in terms of affordability, with an average fare of $308.88, compared with the most expensive Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia, which came in at $427.37 and the cheapest McCarran International (LAS) at $240.35.
According to JD Power, Tampa International also ranks very highly in terms of customer satisfaction among large airports with 10 million to 32.9 million passengers per year. Tampa scored 822 out of a possible 1,000 on its satisfaction index, coming in behind only Portland International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport.
One of the reasons for the ranking was the affordability combined with options to fly to a wide range of locations, and Tampa International continues to expand its footprint. In October, Frontier Airlines announced new low-cost fares from Tampa to Atlanta starting at just $19 and in November, the same airline launched a non-stop service from Tampa to San Juan. At the end of last year, budget airline Norwegian announced the expansion of its TampaLondon service to three weekly flights in response to high demand. Spirit Airlines also launched new nonstop flights from Tampa to New York, Newark, New Jersey, Nashville and Indianapolis, taking its destination count from Tampa to 24 locations.
Whit Blanton Executive Director – Forward Pinellas
Our challenge in Pinellas County is that we are not growing like Pasco, Hillsborough, or Manatee County. We are expected to add about 90,000 people by the year 2045, which is a small fraction of what the other counties are expected to have. We have to plan and think dierently. We have a situation here where the average new worker in Pinellas County is almost 50 years old, so we are not attracting young workers, except maybe in St. Petersburg, but most young people can’t aord to live there. Our strategy is really aimed at the future of our workforce, how do we draw talent and how do we retain this talent. We believe the solution is investing in housing and better mass transit services.
Another reason Tampa is growing in popularity is because of its accessibility. Early this year, Tampa International announced it was the US’ first bikefriendly airport, a recognition awarded by the League of American Bicyclists. TPA is building a bicycle and pedestrian trail around the airport’s new SkyCenter development, eventually intended to connect Tampa Airport into a wider regional trail network. SkyCenter One, an office building that is part of TPA’s ongoing multiyear modernization plan, will also have indoor bicycle commuter facilities for employees, including bike racks and repair stations that promote cycling to work.
The airport’s modernization master plan is now in Phase 2 of the $2 billion project that will update the airport from curbside across all aspects of the airport. 2019 saw the airport break ground on its SkyCenter One office building. By February, workers had started placing the foundations for the building and adjacent parking garage, according to TPA’s website. The latest plan, approved in 2013, will allow the airport to eventually accommodate up to 34 million passengers a year.
Airlines are also building a bigger presence at the airport. This past summer, United Airlines broke ground on a new $33 million hangar at the airport. The facility will be a 66,000-square-foot two-bay maintenance hangar and apron to accommodate 737 and 757 aircraft on 9.5 acres east of the airfield. It will have capacity for three 737s and there will be an additional 17,620 square feet of office and shop space upon completion later this year.
Tampa International is not the only airport in the Tampa Bay region that is investing in its future. This September, the Federal Aviation Administration awarded St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport $19.75 million for a runway rehabilitation project. The project will be completed in 2021 after a total investment of $24.1 million. St. Pete-Clearwater is also taking the trend of mixed-use seriously and will use a part of the land for a hotel development and office space. Developer Brookline PIE Ulmerton signed a ground lease in March 2019 for 3.68 acres of space. When complete, the development is expected to contribute $356,940 to the airport in revenues every year.
To further cement its position as an airport hub, the Tampa Bay authorities are floating the idea of a sky taxi that connects Tampa International and St. Pete-Clearwater for more seamless travel and easier connections. Although this plan is still at an early stage, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey has said that talks have taken place with Bell Helicopter, which operates an air taxi service at Dallas-Fort Worth in conjunction with Uber.
Budget carrier Allegiant Air also is betting on the Tampa Bay market. Late last year, it agreed a fiveyear deal with St. Pete-Clearwater that will provide the airport revenues of roughly $14.2 million as well as investing $4 million to construct a new airline support facility at the airport. Allegiant operates nearly 95 percent of the flights at the St. Pete airport and also contributed highly to the growth of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, which broke records in November when it served 182,607 passengers. Growth was spurred by Allegiant and Frontier Airlines, according to airport CEO and President Rick Piccolo.
M. Kelly Hendry President – Hendry Marine Industries, Inc.
The most exciting aspect about the marine industry is that it is one of the last places where a young person can come in with nothing but a strong, resilient heart and a high-school diploma and make $100,000 a year by the time he or she is 30. This industry does not require college degrees for professional success. All three of Gulf Marine’s vice presidents started here when they were 18, all without college degrees. We are vehement advocates for career and technical education. We provide an in-house training center where our iron workers can build their skill sets in a hands-on environment while learning the science of welding from a seasoned expert.
Port Tampa Bay Tampa’s busy port is also breaking passenger records. In 2019, Port Tampa Bay broke its record for cruise passengers and welcomed cargo service from as far as China, Vietnam, and South Korea. One priority for CEO Paul Anderson when he was awarded the position in 2012 was a direct service to Shanghai, Singapore and other Asian ports, despite headwinds such as the US-China trade war.
Next on the agenda is further growth in Asia and more cargo trade with Mexico, according to Anderson. As a result of the new USMCA trade agreement that replaces NAFTA, 75% of a vehicle must be produced in Canada, Mexico or the United States to be exempt from tariffs. While rail now shoulders most of the burden of shuttling components between the three countries, Anderson wants ships to have greater penetration in this segment.
Already, Port Tampa Bay is Florida’s largest cargo tonnage port, generating $17.2 billion in economic impact and creating 85,000 direct and indirect jobs. But preparations to future-proof the installations include addressing climate change-related issues, to which the port is particularly vulnerable. For example, 45% of Florida’s gasoline supply is pumped into tanker trucks at the port, an exercise that is threatened by rising sea levels. Port Tampa Bay cannot simply raise its cargo cranes and cruise ship gangways because they were designed to operate at current levels, but the port is working with an engineering firm to come up with solutions to the problem. ( )
